2 Birds and a Stone
by Super Awesome Chicken Duck
Summary: It's been 3 months since Alex was captured and Blunt has deemed the rescue operation to risky. Convinced that Alex is no longer useful Blunt is perfectly happy to leave Alex in captivity unless he can kill two birds with one stone. Can Ben and Mrs Jones find a way to persuade him otherwise? How can they link the Cherub investigation and Alex's rescue together? Contains Kunit


_**Hi all! **_

_**So I have been almost completely turned off my other fanfics – I just can't find the inspiration anymore and this idea came into my head so I decided 'hey lets write a new one!' **_

_**I kind of got fed up of the Cherub/Alex Rider crossovers only going in two directions and thought surely there were other ways to create a crossover. **_

_**So its been 3 months since Alex was captured and Blunt has decided to declare him dead unless there is some way he can kill 2 birds with one stone. Can Ben and Mrs. Jones find a way to link the investigation of Cherub and Alex Rider's rescue? Contains K-Unit and SAS.**_

_**Anyway so enjoy (and please review)!**_

* * *

It was meant to be a simple operation. _Simple. _Though that was what they always said. Why he had expected anything different Alex didn't know. What would horrific burns do for him that an assassination attempt on their doorstep couldn't?

Alex rolled over with a groan. It had been months. He knew he needed to keep up his strength whenever he could so that if the opportunity presented itself he could escape and not be burdened by lack of strength and stamina as well as wounds.

_1 _

Still as he slowly pushed up with his arms, he could feel them waver; buckling in ways they hadn't done since before he'd started middle school. This was going to be a lot harder than it looked. Of course he knew that – Alex berated himself for thinking it would be easy. Nothing in his life was easy.

_2 _

Or simple it seemed.

_3 _

Alex's arms started buckling even more. His hands splayed beneath him were pallid; the blue blood sticking out like sore thumbs, making him look almost alien.

A creature; thin, pale with spidery blue patterns.

_4 _

Staring at the prominent veins in his hands, Alex struggled through a fourth push up.

_5 _

His left elbow was the first to go; grinding and collapsing underneath him suddenly. The rest of his body followed. He lay there his head cushioned on his one good arm, his dislocated one still trapped underneath him.

It was until he felt blood dripping down the side of his face that he realised he had torn his stitches. Alex grinned.

He used the word 'stitches' very loosely.

* * *

"It's been months Alan."

Alan Blunt didn't look up as she entered the room. The Head of MI6 didn't even acknowledge her presence or what she had said, preferring instead to concentrate on his paperwork.

Even if it was agreeing to talk to some politician who had _ideas _about the way he should run the intelligence agency.

"Alan." Her tone was forceful now.

Holding up a finger and laying it on the security button, Blunt shut his deputy up.

She sat down in one of the leather armchairs with an irritated huff. Tulip Jones had something she was going to say and she was damn well going to say it. Reaching into a pocket she searched for her peppermints that had resulted in her being called Peppermint Lady around the office. She shook her head. Times like these required desperate measures. Reaching into the other pocket, she pulled out a lighter and a packet of cigarettes.

She smiled as the nicotine invaded her lungs; it had been far too long since her last smoke. She'd made almost 1 year without a cigarette. As she took a deep breath, she knew that she would never be able to try quitting again.

Tulip Jones turned to her boss and watched as he wrote one last flourishing signature, put away his completed paperwork for his secretary to file and put his pen back in the pen holder.

He steepled his fingers, "Yes?"

She gracefully got up, "It's been months."

Blunt's slate grey eyes didn't blink.

"Since Alex disappeared." She elaborated even though she knew she didn't need to.

Blunt got up and moved to the window wall that overlooked the streets, 4 panes of bullet proof glass with a gel layer between each of them and tinted windows protected him from any potential snipers. That and the secret location of MI6.

"We have more pressing issues." His voice was cold and calculating. She had heard it many times before but she still felt the urge to shiver at her boss's uncaring attitude.

"But for his age, Alex is one of our most successful agents. He is useful; we can't just leave him captured!"

Blunt's clasped hands tightened for a brief second before relaxing, the only sign of his irritation. "Exactly Mrs Jones. Alex is one of the most successful agents _for his age_. The fact is he is not considered one of the best or anywhere close to the top of the food chain in this industry." Blunt held up a hand to step Jones from protesting. "The fact is Alex is no longer useful."

Jones' cigarette long forgotten between her fingers crumbled into ash. She frowned for a moment before delicately stepping around. Blunt's look was enough to assure her that she didn't want to make him anymore angry.

"He can still be useful. He is only 14 after all."

"He is no longer useful and that is final."

"But he's only 14! How can you condemn a 14 year old to death and possibly torture!"

Blunt whirled around, the muscles in his face tight and tense. "You are out of line Deputy. If you cannot remain neutral about this I shall be forced to find myself a new deputy."

Jones gaped at the obvious threat. Then her face was wiped clean of any expression. She would not lose her job, not when she was next in-line to become the Head. "Yes Sir."

Blunt nodded in approval. "Eat more of those peppermints – the Deputy-Head cannot go around smelling like an ash tray."

Jones barely refrained from rolling her eyes.

"Give this to Agent Daniels on your way out," he said handing her a cream envelope made of nice parchment. "The other one is for you."

Sucking on another peppermint, she nodded and bid her boss good day.

She called security, "Where is Agent Daniels?"

"He is in a lecture ma'am."

Ending the call without saying good bye, she entered the lift. Lecture theatres - level 4. She had a lecture to interrupt.

* * *

Agent Ben Daniels life had not been good as of late. Ever since Alex had disappeared on a _simple _mission he was a wreck. He was constantly worrying. His friends had taken to plying him with coffee just so that he could function enough not to get fired while at work. It also became a good solution for when he started drinking. Sometimes in his slightly more drunken and insane moments he thought that he would be better off quitting his job and becoming a publican. He spent most of his time these days in pubs anyway.

Today was one of those days where he felt like that. He had fallen asleep drinking straight from a bottle and had woken up with a pounding headache and incessant urge to barf. His loving friends, co-workers and also flatmates had shoved him in the shower before taking him to work. Funnelling coffee into him at every possible moment was the only way he was getting through the day. Luckily years before his SAS unit mates had bought him a small, portable kettle; even back then he couldn't function without his daily dose of caffeine. Now it was daily _doses. _

"Daniels, you are excused."

Ben didn't hear him. A woman next to him poked him. "Come on, wake up," she hissed.

"Daniels!" The lecturer continued, an angry frown marring his face as he turned from his discussion with the Deputy Head to the unresponsive Agent.

Rolling her eyes and chucking another peppermint in her mouth, Jones stepped off the dais and continued up the aisle of the lecture hall. She waited a minute by Ben's desk, shoes tapping impatiently before swatting the man over the head. The other agents jerked back in shock; the Deputy Head had just hit someone and they just kept on sleeping! Sighing in exasperation Jones bent down and whispered, "I have things you want. The Costa Rican coffee I confiscated from you and information on Alex Rider."

Predicting the head jerk that would have collided with her chin, she stepped back and waited for Ben to get his bearings.

"Follow me Agent Daniels." She stated imperiously before turning on her heel and walking out, immediately assuming he would.

Ben muttered a sheepish, "Yes Ma'am," as he got to his feet and grabbed the coffee cup that was permanently glued to his hand.

The walk to Jones' office was silent, the door was locked, anti-scrambling waves initiated and the Costa Rican coffee made before Jones even dared to break the silence.

"I always wondered where the coffee I brought back went." Ben muttered as he took a sip of the burning liquid.

"It was taken away for testing."

Ben rolled his eyes, "Yet it somehow ended up in your office rather than following protocols and being returned to the agent who brought it back."

"I have no idea what you mean."

"Mmmm, what did you call me here for again?"

"Here." She said handing over the envelope.

Ben looked at it in confusion. It was nice cream parchment with gold lettering bearing his name, _Ben Daniels, _on the front. It didn't look like the type of the thing that the Deputy Head would fetch you in person and then take you back to your office for.

"This type of news is best delivered in private." She explained at his curious look.

He nodded and opened the envelope.

_Funeral Services_

_OF_

_Alexander John Rider_

_MONDAY, MARCH 31__st__ 2002_

Alex was _dead._

* * *

_**So there you go. I know I changed Blunt and Mrs Jones' characters a bit but I kind of decided that they were a bit one dimensional in the books and I wanted to play with Mrs Jones a bit more. **_

_**Review!**_

_**Also word of warning – I am writing this as I go so don't expect frequent and timely updates. I will try but no guarantees :D**_


End file.
